County to provide wifi hotspots to 1,000, virtual job fair coming in June

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health holds press conference updating citizens on the coronavirus pandemic on Friday mornings.

During the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) briefing on May 15, County Executive Armond Budish shared that more than 1,400 small businesses applied for the second round of funding from the county’s small business stabilization fund.

Budish said that since the pandemic began in March, more than 120,000 people in Cuyahoga County have filed for unemployment. Budish then discussed the county’s efforts to host a virtual job fair in June. Budish said that the county and the Mandel Supporting Foundation will each provide $150,000 in funding for the job program. Budish mentioned that since 25 percent of those who live in Cuyahoga County do not have internet access, some of the funding will also be used to buy digital hotspots and three months of free internet access for 1,000 job seekers.

“We want to make sure that everyone in Cuyahoga County everyone has a chance at getting a good job,” said Budish. “In addition to computers and internet access the county will also provide access to a thousand job seekers to an online job skills training program through the county’s Skill Up initiative.”

Budish also mentioned that it’s difficult to know so many young children are missing out on important early learning opportunities. He urged parents to check out the county’s website for virtual learning resources at CuyahogaKids.com.

He also mentioned the county’s early childhood mental health program. He said the program is for families with kids age six or younger. He said it’s free and confidential and families who are interested in speaking to a professional by phone or video can call 216-801-2778.